Do you believe in ghosts? Bigfoot? Alien abductions? If you said yes to any of these, you're not alone. Many people hold beliefs about the existence of paranormal phenomona. However, many of these things cannot and have not been supported by scientific evidence. Though many people (even well respected people) claim that science can prove the existance of the phenomena, many of their arguments fall flat in the face of critical thinking. While certainly there is nothing wrong in believing in these things, its important to distinguish what science is and how it is used to discover patterns and knowledge about the world around us. Science is based on natural and predictable phenomena that can be tested. Beware of claims made by "pseudoscientists".
Instructions
Read chapter 9 in your book.
Choose a topic that is considered to be in the realm of the paranormal, such as alien abuctions, ESP, or ghosts.(Go to Paranormal topics module for a list of topics you can choose from, obviously you can't choose a topic that was throughly discussed in the textbook.)
DO NOT choose a topic you are personally committed to as it will skew your objectivity. The point of this lesson isn't to convince you either way.
The point is to analyze the so-called evidence surrounding the phenemona from a scientific viewpoint and using critical thinking skills. You must demonstrate to me that you have read Chapter 9 and 10 of the textbook. You are applying the skills you learned in these chapters into the paper.
Compile a short list of claims and evidence used to support the existance of the phenomena. You can use various websites and books, don't forget to include the source in the works cited portion of your paper.
For instance if I was doing a report on bigfoot. Some of the claims I might list are: eyewitness accounts, footprints found, and hair fibers. Be sure to be specific in the evidence and you must include at least two different claims or pieces of evidence; one of the two theories needs to be a plausible alternative theory.
Write a paper that discusses the topic and its evidence and then analyze the each piece of evidence or claim according to the criteria of adequacy.
(Each criteria should be about a paragraph to do a thorough job of evaluation.)
Testability: whether there is some way to determine if a theory is true
Fruitfulness: the number of novel predictions made
Scope: the amount of diverse phenomena explained
Simplicity: the number of assumptions made
Conservatism: how well a theory fits with existing knowledge
Discuss ways that science could support the existance without relying on weak arguments. Use the scientific method and scientific processes to propose a research method that could support the existance of the phenomenon. (Chapter 10 should be helpful)
Sample Solution